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Car Surfing Girl
Location: La Marque, Texas Date: September 17, 1992 Story On September 17, 1992 in La Marque, Texas, sixteen-year-old Julie Jones was looking after her younger sisters, ten-year-old Sarah and five-year-old Melissa, while their parents were out of town for the day. Julie had just gotten her driver's license and she, Sarah, and Melissa went to go get something to eat. "On the way back Sarah asked me if she could ride on the hood of the car," remembers Julie. At first, she said no but Sarah begged and begged until she finally agreed to let her do so when they got to their street. When they did, Sarah got out and climbed onto the hood. She was laughing and having fun and Melissa was laughing and looking between the front seats. Julie saw a bump in the middle of the road and put on the brakes. Sarah fell off, slipped under the car, and got her leg stuck in the burning hot engine. Neighbor Jim Bulton rushed out to help while his wife, Anita, called for help. He told Julie to turn off the engine as he checked on Sarah. "She was crying and probably in shock," said Jim. He then opened the hood and saw that her leg was turned, twisted, and bent upward into the engine. "I knew I couldn't pull her out myself," said Jim. After calling 911, Anita joined them. "I knew it was Sarah's voice and everyone around the neighborhood knew she was a very nice little girl. I knew she was in pain and I couldn't see how she was hurt," said Anita. Sarah screamed, "Help me! I can't get out!" But then she just laid back down, relaxed, and had no strength. Within five minutes, La Marque fire rescue units including EMT Bobby Dolittle arrived on the scene. "I have never seen anyone trapped under a car like this. I looked at her leg and I saw her knee jammed up and I thought, 'How are we going to get this kid out?,'" said Dolittle. Fire chief Clark Clover took charge of the extrication when he got to the scene and dispatched a helicopter. "My concern was what damage was done by the vehicle when it ran over her," said Clover. Anita looked after Julie and Melissa while they watched in shock. "I was scared. I thought they would never get her out and I didn't want my sister to die," said Melissa. Bobby tried to reach up and pull Sarah's leg out but she screamed in pain. When the Life Flight helicopter touched down at the scene, Sarah had been pinned under the car for nearly 40 minutes. Flight nurse Maria McClure took over her care. "She was very scared, but she was being very brave," said McClure. One of Dolittle's coworkers came up with an idea to get a syringe and put some jelly in it to help slide Sarah's leg down. With that, they were finally able to get it out. "The burn on her knee looked very bad. And I was afraid that she might have hidden injuries that could possibly kill her. So I wanted to get her to the hospital as soon as possible," said McClure. A neighbor got in touch with Sarah's parents, Randy and Jodi, and told them what had happened. "Being an EMT I knew that Sarah was hurt bad simply because they call it Life Flight. We never call it that unless it's a very serious accident. I was scared to death and started to prepared myself that she might not live," said Randy. Sarah was flown to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. McClure's heart was breaking for her as she watched the doctors examine her burns. Randy and Jodi were allowed to see her as soon they got there. She held Jodi's hand and told her that she loved her. "I told her that it was okay," said Jodi. Julie kept telling Sarah that she loved her and that she didn't mean to hurt her. "They ran a bunch of tests and didn't think her leg was broken," said Randy. But instead, Sarah was transferred to the nearby Shriner's Burns Institute where Dr. Robert McCally took over her care. "She had what we would refer to as fourth degree burn which involves not only the skin and SQ tissues but there was also damage to the tendons and cartilage," said Dr. McCally. Randy and Jodi thought that Sarah's leg might have to be amputated and that she might never walk again. During the two months Sarah spent in the hospital she had reconstructive surgery on her leg and knee and underwent five skin graft operations. Jodi would get off the elevator and hear her screaming all the way down the hall because the doctors were changing her bandages. She underwent physical therapy another six months. "She never gave up. She always did exactly what the doctors asked her to do and what I asked her to do. Sarah's an incredible fighter," said Randy. "I got the strength from my dad because he encouraged me to walk. I told myself that I would get this done just for my dad and so I tried my hardest," said Sarah. Nearly two years have passed since the accident. Sarah's recovery has been painfully slow. She still has to wear a body suit to cover her scars but she wore shorts on the first day of school so everyone could see her legs. "I'm especially grateful to the people at Shriner's. They were with her for two months," said Jodi. Sarah went back to Shriner's, read and played games with the children, and encouraged them to walk again and forget their pain. "Riding on the hood of a car may look fun but you could die. You could lose a leg or an arm. In fact, you might be paralyzed for the rest of your life," said Sarah. Category:1992 Category:Texas Category:Burns Category:Motor-Vehicle Accidents